Cat Tale By Michael Hall Greenwillow (an imprint of Harper Collins) $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-06-191516-1 Ages 6-10 On shelves August 28th When we are old and gray and the stars gleam a little less brightly in the wide firmament above our heads, I have no doubt that there will STILL be children’s librarians out there debating [...]

The Word Collector By Sonja Wimmer Translated by Jon Brokenbrow Cuento de Luz $14.95 ISBN: 978-8415241348 Ages 4-8 On shelves now What is the ultimate goal of the picture book import? When someone takes the time to bring over and translate a work for children, they’re expecting that book to be able to say something [...]

Me and Momma and Big John By Mara Rockliff Illustrated by William Low Candlewick Press $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-7636-4359-1 Ages 4-8 On shelves August 28th The people of New York City are spoiled beyond belief. Many’s the time I’ve traipsed down the street and glanced at one of the passing skyscrapers or cathedrals thinking “in any [...]

East Dragon, West Dragon By Robyn Eversole Illustrated by Scott Campbell Atheneum Books (an imprint of Simon & Schuster) $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-689-85828-4 Ages 4-8 On shelves now Sometimes the obvious can also be the impossible. Take dragons, for example. Now say you’re a children’s librarian and a five-year-old approaches your desk and asks you for [...]

Jimmy the Greatest! By Jairo Buitrago Illustrated by Rafael Yockteng Translated by Elisa Amado Groundwood Books (House of Anansi Press) $18.95 ISBN: 978-1-55498-178-6 Ages 4-8 On shelves now Once in a while I’ll be impressed by a book for kids, pick it up to review it, and in the course of writing the review become [...]

My Dad Is Big and Strong, But…: A Bedtime Story By Coralie Saudo Illustrated by Kris Di Giacomo Translated by Claudia Zoe Bedrick Enchanted Lion Books $16.95 ISBN: 978-1-59270-122-3 Ages 4-8 On shelves April 17, 2012 Few picture book titles come with qualifications. More often than not they are statements of strong purpose. I Can [...]

Lucy Rescued By Harriet Ziefert Illustrated by Barroux Blue Apple Books $16.99 ISBN: 978-1-60905-187-7 Ages 4-8 On shelves March 27th My temptation whenever I review a children’s book that involves a dog in some way is to begin with a caveat that I am not a dog person. I’ve drawn from that well one too [...]

Chloe and the Lion By Mac Barnett Illustrated by Adam Rex Disney Hyperion Books $16.99 ISBN: 978-142311334-8 Ages 4 and up On shelves April 3, 2012 Pity the picture book author. Their lot is rife with strife. With a couple exceptions here and there it is mighty hard to make picture book authorship your one [...]

Bandits By Johanna Wright A Neal Porter Book – Roaring Brook (an imprint of Macmillan) $16.99 ISBN: 978-1-59643-583-4 Ages 4-8 On shelves now There has been inadequate use of raccoons in children’s literature. Seems to me that if you have a furry woodland creature with a homegrown mask as part of its fuzzy face, it’s [...]

A House in the Woods By Inga Moore Candlewick Press $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-7636-5277-7 Ages 4-8 On shelves now When I ask adults what their favorite picture books were when they were children, their answers tend to fall into two categories. Either they’ll name a famous classic (a Where the Wild Things Are or a Goodnight [...]

The Princess and the Pig By Jonathan Emmett Illustrated by Poly Bernatene Walker & Co. (a division of Bloomsbury) $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-8027-2334-5 Ages 4-8 On shelves now The princess craze is a relatively new phenomenon. I’m sure that little girls have pretended to be princesses for as long as the occupation has existed, but the [...]

Come to Bed, Red! By Jonathan Allen Double Digit productions Kindle Edition File Size: 6845 KB For ages 4-8 Available now Each year I like to review one independently published title. In an era where even review journals like Kirkus have a section dedicated to self-published titles, it’s always a good idea to give some [...]

Everything Goes on Land By Brian Biggs Balzer & Bray (an imprint of Harper Collins) $14.99 ISBN: 978-0-06-195809-0 Ages 3 and up On shelves now There is much to be said for simplicity. The elegant understated picture book that contains peaceful moments of serenity with the idea that a child might get lost in the [...]

Belle, the Last Mule at Gee’s Bend: A Civil Rights Story By Calvin Alexander Ramsey and Bettye Stroud Illustrated by John Holyfield Candlewick Press $15.99 ISBN: 978-0-7636-4058-3 Ages 4-8 On shelves now Certain historical figures inspire multiple generations of children’s authors to go a little hog wild and pig crazy writing up their lives for [...]

What Animals Really Like By Fiona Robinson Abrams Books for Young Readers $15.95 ISBN: 978-0-8109-8976-4 Ages 4-8 On shelves now. I’m sitting in a room with other children’s librarians. Together, we are attempting to determine what the best children’s books of a given year are. It’s late in the publishing season and we haven’t a [...]

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About A Fuse #8 Production

Features everything from librarian previews of upcoming children's books to news, reviews, and videos. If it has something to do with children's literature, it will rate a mention here.

Betsy Bird is the Youth Materials Specialist of New York Public Library. She's reviewed for The New York Times and Kirkus, writes articles for Horn Book and SLJ, and wrote the picture book Giant Dance Party. You can contact her at Fusenumber8@gmail.com or follow her on . . .